ose and,
smiling at Esperance, tripped blushingly away. Giovanni was flushed and
somewhat angry at the intrusion at the critical moment of his love
making. Esperance's face was grave; he felt all the weight of the
responsibility he was about to assume.

"Giovanni," said he, in a measured tone, "I do not blame you for being
fascinated by a pretty, amiable girl like Annunziata Solara, far from
it. She is certainly a paragon of beauty, a model of rustic grace, a
very tempting morsel of rural virtue and innocence. She is well fitted
to turn the head of almost any young man--I freely acknowledge that. It
is pardonable to wish to enjoy her society--nay, a harmless flirtation
with her is, perhaps, not censurable; but that is the utmost length to
which a man of honor can go! Remember she has a reputation to lose, a
heart to break!"

"What do you mean by that long sermon?" demanded the Viscount, setting
his teeth and frowning savagely.

"I mean that you have been making love to this poor girl, that you have
been seeking to requite her care of you in a manner but little to your
credit!"

"I owe you my life, Esperance," replied Massetti, "but even my gratitude
will not shield you from my fury, if you step between me and Annunziata
Solara!"

"You mean to pursue her then, to soil her name, to blast her future, for
surely you are not courting her with marriage as your object?"

Giovanni flushed scarlet at this open accusation.

"I mean to pursue her--yes! What my object in the matter is concerns
only myself; you have nothing whatever to do with it!" he exclaimed,
hotly.

"But I have a great deal to do with it!" replied Esperance, firmly. "You
shall not pursue Annunziata Solara to her destruction! Between her good
name and your reckless intentions I will oppose a barrier you cannot
surmount--myself!"

"Do you mean to champion her to the extent of challenging me?" demanded
Massetti, fairly foaming with ire.

"If you persist in your nefarious designs, yes!" answered the son of
Monte-Cristo, with equal warmth. "You are my friend, my friend of
friends, Giovanni Massetti, but the instant you menace that innocent
girl's honor my friendship for you crumbles to dust and you become my
deadly foe! Take your choice. Either leave this hospitable cabin with me
as soon as the state of your wound will permit you to do so, meanwhile
respecting Annunziata Solara as you would your own sister, or meet me
pistol in hand on the field of hono